Butterfly’s 3,000 km Japan-Hong Kong Flight Breaks Records

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Today, nature still amazes; a small butterfly flew from Japan into Hong Kong- a distance the same as that between New York and Las Vegas- showing just how remarkable a small creature is.

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A researcher captured this unique butterfly, the Chestnut Tiger, at the beach of Hong Kong's Repulse Bay on December 21, 2024. The wing of this butterfly had a small sticker: four months ago, it had come from Fukushima in Japan.

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"It's an astonishing feat," says Professor Timothy Bonebrake, highlighting the physiological ability of the butterfly flying more than 3,000 kilometers in 100 days.

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This journey broke the previous record from 2011, when another butterfly of the same type flew 2,423 kilometers and lived for 82 days.

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The story started at a ski resort in Fukushima, Japan, where researchers Masayoshi Shimizu and Hiroki Takizawa spent six days placing tracking stickers on 481 butterflies.

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The tracking project began in early August 2024.

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These stickers help scientists learn where butterflies go and how long they live, providing valuable information to protect these beautiful insects.

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After filming its journey, Dr. Ling released the butterfly, and now nobody knows where it will go next.

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Scientists encourage the public to report butterflies with stickers to the Danaid Butterfly Research Hong Kong project to help learn more about these fascinating creatures.

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This discovery shows how international collaboration helps us understand nature better, as researchers in Japan and Hong Kong shared their findings.

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